isn't reality warping the same thing as matter/energy manipulation
reality warpinmg-complete control over all forms of matter/enegry on a subatomic level
the only difference is matter manipulation requires u know exactly where each particle goes and such while reality warpin particles just form to create or reshape desired object and person doesn't need advanced knowledge
say a matter manipulator wanted to make something as simple as aspirin. this character would need to have extensive preexisting knowledge pertaining to the exact chemical makeup of aspirin, before they could properly [and stably] go about manifesting some.
other side of the coin, all a reality warper has to do is think about aspirin being in front of them, and *poof* it's there. no 'extensive' knowledge of aspirin would be needed.
so yeah, pretty much the same overall outcomes - but much different ways of going about them.
My similar take: if I were, say, making a chair. Matter manip would make me piece together the chair on an atomic level, or however small is sufficient to complete the task. With reality manip. the laws of the universe would literally conform to my whim to produce a chair, causality and chemical makeup be damned.
....
As a possible caveat...It seems that some characters have matter manipulation powers that are somewhat more intuitive. They imagine something, and the molecules/atoms/whatever rearrange to form their thoughts. It's matter manipulation, but they don't need to visualize the actual composition. The Doctor is one such possible character, which is why I mention it. Frequent references to atomic structure, and not being able to instantly fix certain problems (he has mentioned that occasionally changes are on too small a level for him to correct quickly), confirm that he's a matter manipulator. But other times he mentions that his powers correspond to his thoughts. He thinks it, and the universe builds/changes it without detailed instructions.
Probably more writer inconsistency than anything, tbh. But it's a "lazy" matter manip....but still matter manip, not reality manipulation.
The Doctor is a perfect example at one end of the spectrum, and a guy like, say, Firestorm is an excellent counter example.
Firestorm is, in theory, capable of doing basically anything, but since the Firestorm matrix is generally centered around an "everyman" type, he isn't really capable of doing much more than turning things into water, or air, or so on- understanding the chemical, atomic structure of something is way, way outside his reach. Which is why having a guy like Martin Stein in the matrix makes such an utterly dramatic difference.
In order to have matter/energy manipulation abilities on the scale of a reality warper, you'd have to have a character with a beyond genius level intelligence (like a Brainic Five or something), so that they can actually cause those effects without messing up horribly.
a good matter manipulator like, say, firestorm, is able to rearrange given matter/molecules into something completely different, at the speed of thought - so long as he is familiar with whatever it is he's creating. thus, if one were not very knowledgeable concerning firestorm's overall powerset, they could easily confuse his powers with those of a lower level reality manipulator [based on the ease/speed in which he can preform certain tasks.] however, it's when FS tries to manipulate molecules in a manner that is out of the ordinary for him, that he tends to start having problems.
it might very well be the same type of situation for the doctor - ie. he's better/faster at manipulating things he's familiar with, than manipulating things he is not familiar with... though i'm sure writer error still plays a part lol. *shrugs*
__________________
Last edited by Galan007 on Aug 9th, 2009 at 05:15 PM
so i am right.reality warping is matter/enegry manipulation,except matter manipulators must know everything about what they're doing and reality manips can just think and it happens
There's a lot of overlap. The distinction I make is that matter/energy manipulation is basically manipulation of objects, while reality-warping is manipulation of events/circumstances.
In terms of figure/ground: MEM directly effects figure, which may / may not effect ground. RW directly effects ground, which may / may not effect figure.
__________________
Shinier than a speeding bullet.
Last edited by Mindship on Aug 9th, 2009 at 06:25 PM
That's the general rule, but then you get people like Molecule Man, whose power is matter/energy manip but can do things without knowing the exact structure.
But I guess that could be explained by the fact Reece's powers come from the same power source as cosmic cubes, so he might technically warp reality...
true. He's a smart guy. He might just be able to visualize it all quickly. It's as good an explanation as anything, since it is still matter manip.
Yes. But reality manip would trump matter manip, because it literally remakes reality. No amount of matter manip. will overcome something that works on such a conceptual level. So one's more powerful in theory, but yes, they are much the same.
In theory a matter/energy manipulator cannot break the laws of physics. In practice comic writers know nothing about physics.
The important difference (IMO) is that a reality manipulator can change physics and interact with metaphysical forces. Someone that control matter/energy can't alter the laws of gravity or tear you mind/soul out or make a perpetual motion device.
__________________
Graffiti outside Latin class.
Sed quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
A juvenal prank.
KMC Community Forums
Aug 9th, 2009 03:07 AM
